TRUSTED BUYERS OF AMERICAN ESTATE STONEWARE AND WEEKLY STONEWARE AUCTION
WHAT IS SALT GLAZED STONEWARE?
SALT GLAZING STONEWARE
THE
THESE FIRST SETTLERS, MOSTLY FROM EUROPE, HAD NEED FOR WARE FOR THE HOME THAT WAS DURABLE AND NON-POROUS FOR STORING AND SERVING FOOD.
MOST POTTERY MADE IN AMERICA IN THE EARLY YEARS 1500 - 1800, WAS REDWARE OR EARTHENWARE. RED CLAY WAS ABUNDANT AND EASILY FOUND AND SERVED FOR AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR PLATES, CROCKS, JUGS, SPITOONS, FLASKS, CAKE MOLDS, CHAMBER POTS, ROOF TILE, SEWER PIPE AND ALL OTHER FORMS OF WARE. MOST FARMERS WOULD SEARCH OUT THE RED CLAY AND MAKE THEIR OWN POTTERY FOR THEMSELVES. MANY OF THESE SETTLERS THAT BEGAN AS FARMERS, ENDED UP BEING POTTERS AND SUPPLYING TOWN FOLK WITH WARE FOR THEIR HOMES.
THE RED CLAY WAS BRITTLE AND POROUS. THIS WAS A CONSTANT ISSUE AND MADE PREPARED FOOD STORAGE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE AND REPLACEMENT POTTERY WAS NEEDED ALL THE TIME.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE STONEWARE CLAY DEPOSIT IN LONG ISLAND AND NEW JERSEY NEAR THE AMBOYS AND THE CHEESEQUAKE BASIN MADE IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE STONEWARE IN AMERICA. THIS HARDER MORE DURABLE CLAY SEARVED WELL TO BE SALT GLAZED, WHICH HELPED SEAL THE CONTENTS IN AND HELD LIQUID FOR EXTENDED PERIODS.
SALT GLAZING AS A SOLUTION
AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT
THE ART OF SALT GLAZING WAS ONE HANDED DOWN GENERATION TO GENERATION AND LARGELY BY TRIAL AND ERROR.
ONE OF THE KEY COMPONENTS TO MAKING POTTERY IN THE 1800'S WAS SALT. THE KILN WOULD BE LOADED WITH POTTERY, STACKED CLOSELY AND WITH AS MUCH STONEWARE AS POSSIBLE. THE FIRE WOULD BE LIT. THE FUEL WOULD BE CUT HARD WOOD. THE WOOD WOULD GET THE KILN TO ABOUT 2200 DEGREES, TAKING UP TO THREE DAYS TO REACH TEMPERATURE. SOMEONE WOULD TEND THE FIRE AND WATCH THE KILN THE ENTIRE TIME. THERE WAS ALWAYS THE THREAT OF A FIRE AND THE FIRE NEEDED TO BE MANAGED TO GRADUALLY REACH TEMPERATURE.
ONCE REACHING TEMPERATURE FOR A GIVEN AMOUNT OF TIME, A HATCH WOULD BE OPENED NEAR THE TOP OF THE KILN. BUCKETS OF MINED RAW SALT WOULD BE READIED. AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT THE SALT WOULD BE TOSSED INTO THE KILN THROUGH THE HATCH.
THE SALT WOULD ENTER THE KILN AND IMMEDIATELY MELT AND BECOME A THICK GAS IN THE INTENSE HEAT OF THE KILN. THIS GASEOUS SALT WOULD CIRCULATE IN THE KILN AND SETTLE ON THE WARE INSIDE. MOST WARE WAS LOADED IN THE KILN UPSIDE DOWN SO AS TO GET THE EXTERIOR OF THE POTTERY COATED. AS THE FIRE DIED OUT SLOWLY AND THE KILN COOLED,THE SALT WOULD THEN SOLIDIFY ONCE AGAIN AND CREAT A GLASS LIKE COATING ON THE POTTERY. THIS WOULD BETTER SEAL THE STONEWARE FROM LEAKING AND MAKE A DURABLE AND USABLE PRODUCT. IT ALSO ADDED A LUSTEROUS SHINE TO THE STONEWARE THAT WE ENJOY TODAY.
